Hazel Technologies, a Serra Capital III portfolio company, has announced the successful completion of research trials with Cornell University to validate a new post-harvest quality technology for fresh pears. Hazel Technologies is developing new solutions to reduce waste in order to improve the efficiency of the fresh produce supply chain. The Hazel® Product Line is a suite of packaging inserts that extend the shelf life of ethylene sensitive produce.

The study found that pears treated with Hazel® Pear product had three-times longer shelf life and 95 percent internal color retention following three weeks of treatment.